Behind the wheel in Miami

Seen throughout the Cube, this “water ripple effect” adds a unique design to the car.

Three of the eight cup holders that are in reach of the driver.

During my trip to Miami, on Saturday, I was allowed to test drive the Nissan Cube in Miami.

There were three routes that they had mapped out for the journalists. One took us to North Beach, another to South Beach and a third to downtown Miami.

So I paired up with Eric Rogell who is the editor for the Web site, The Bachelor Guy. Rogell lives in Tallahassee, knew the area very well so I believe I did well in choosing him as my co pilot.

Rogell was able to point out some land marks and give me a little history of some of the land marks in Miami. He was able to point out homes that belong to Shaq and Madonna and he said that the only way to reach them was either by boat or a private bridge.

I don’t think I would have gotten the same kind of experience if I had rode with the guy from Alabama.

First Impressions of the Car

Overall, I like the car because it has a lot of headroom which is something I am definitely not used to. The car handles turns very well and has a lot of get up and go speed that surprised Rogell and myself.

However, there were some problems that I noticed about the car. They were very minor details but details that definitely stood out to me and Rogell.

Just in the front area alone there were 8 cup holders that the driver or front passenger could reach. Seems excessive.

While I do like the ability to plug in an iPod or iPhone and the ability to shift through songs or play lists directly through the dashboard, I did not like the fact that there was no place to put the player except in a cup holder. But I would think that the moisture from the drinks would get on the iPod or iPhone. I think if there was some kind of dock that would work better

There was no ash tray. Which also meant there was no place to put loose change for us non smokers.

I realize that these are just small details and they might be changed once the Cube is actually released to the public, but these details did kinda stick out to me.

Also, what is the purpose of the shag carpeting? I think if I had that people would make fun of me.